Family mourns loss of little boy

GILLESPIE — The family of 3-year-old Ryder Vercoglio is mourning their loss while seeking answers regarding the child’s suspicious death Monday morning.

The Gillespie Police Department and the Illinois State Police are investigating the death of 3-year-old Ryder Austin Vercoglio, whose obituary was released to area media outlets Wednesday.

Ryder Vercoglio was taken to Litchfield Hospital Jan. 3 after emergency medical personnel responded to a residence on Western Ave. in Gillespie to treat an injured boy who was having a seizure, according to a release from the Illinois State Police. Medical personnel alerted authorities after suspecting the child’s injuries were caused by abuse.

Gillespie Police Chief Jared DePoppe told the Telegraph Wednesday that a homicide investigation is ongoing. He said police do have a person of interest in the matter, but no charges had yet been levied. He would only describe the suspect as a non-relative who was taking care of the boy the day the injuries occurred.

While police continue their investigation, the boy’s family is trying to cope with the tragedy. Ryder’s grandfather continues to play passed events in his head, in search of answers.

“We got a call from his mother about him having a seizure,” Bill Vercoglio, said. “Doctors said what happened was massive trauma to the head which caused swelling and the cutting off of circulation to blood vessels in the head.”

Bill Vercoglio said that Ryder Vercoglio was only able to breathe on his own two times while in the ambulance from Gillespie to Litchfield. In Litchfield, Bill Vercoglio said that Ryder Vercoglio’s brain was showing very limited signs of activity. He was then taken to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead Monday morning.

“He was dead before he left Litchfield,” Bill Vercoglio said. “They did three tests for brain activity that were 12 hours apart.”

Upon his death, Ryder Vercoglio’s pancreas, liver and small intestine were donated to a girl in Nebraska, saving her life, according to Bill Vercoglio. Attempts to confirm the successful transplant with the Transplant Center at the Nebraska Medical Center were unsuccessful as the center cited the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

According to Bill Vercoglio, Ryder Vercoglio was in the care of his mother’s friend at the time of the incident. Doctors told Bill Vercoglio Ryder’s injuries were unlikely to have been caused by a fall.

“The doctor said that he (Ryder) was hit with a force equal to having been in a car seat unsecured, hitting a brick wall at 60 miles per hour and getting thrown through the windshield,” Bill Vercoglio said.

A subsequent CAT scan at the hospital revealed that Ryder Vercoglio had two fractures in his spine, Bill Vercoglio said. One was at least two weeks old, he said, and the other was at least three weeks old.

Bill Vercoglio described his late grandson as a miracle from the beginning of his life Sept. 4, 2011. He was born in St. Mary’s Hospital and immediately transferred to Cardinal Glennon with a weight of one pound, one ounce. He lived at Cardinal Glennon until Dec. 25, 2011. It was during this time that Bill Vercoglio said that little Ryder Vercoglio earned the nickname “Little Bitty.”

“We brought him home Christmas Day,” Bill Vercoglio said. “He was very small for his size. He was only 20 pounds or so when he passed.”

Bill Vercoglio recalled spending two days a week with the child reading him books and playing with him. He described Ryder Vercoglio as a very sweet and well-behaved little boy with a special fondness for SpongeBob SquarePants.

In fact, many SpongeBob-themed presents were waiting for Ryder Vercoglio under Bill Vercoglio’s Christmas tree. Upon his passing, the Vercoglios donated the presents to family members with young children as well as the Christian Church in Gillespie. Bill Vercoglio said it was important that someone could enjoy what Ryder Vercoglio could not.

A memorial scholarship fund has been instituted in Ryder Vercoglio’s honor at the First National Bank in Staunton.

“We want to provide funds for someone down the road going to school to be a doctor or pediatrician,” Bill Vercoglio said. “We want to give it to someone who could help stop something like this from happening to someone else’s kids or grandkids.”

Donations to that scholarship can be sent to the First National Bank of Staunton at P.O. Box #59 in Staunton, Illinois 62088. They should be labeled “Ryder Vercoglio Memorial Scholarship Fund.”

A GoFundMe account has been created by a personal friend of Troy Vercoglio, Ryder Vercoglio’s father. According to Bill Vercoglio, that site was originally intended to be used to assist in funeral the family’s funeral needs, but the burial costs have been covered by the Vercoglios. That fund is now being used to provide a memorial headstone with the remainder going toward the scholarship fund.

That GoFundMe page can be found at www.gofundme.com/jqao8k. As of 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, the account had been shared 664 times on social media and had raised $1,695 of its $6,000 goal. It had been active for one day and had already garnered 51 donors.

Visitation for Ryder Vercoglio will be held on Friday, Jan. 9 from 5-8 p.m. at Kravanya Funeral Home in Benld. The funeral will be held on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 10 a.m., also at Kravanya Funeral Home.